Why having a high-quality business blog is a crucial investment

It’s that time again when you have to sit down and bash out a business blog post. Maybe it’s been a long day and your inner voice is resisting.

“Psst. You need another cup of tea,” it tells you.

“You really should hang the washing before it starts to stink.”

“Wasn’t there something good on TV tonight?”

The truth is, you need to silence those thoughts right now, my friend. That’s right, you heard me. Stop fannying around and start writing.

Writing is like a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger your skill becomes. The more you blog, the easier it gets.

Here’s a quick reminder about why quality blogs are a fantastic investment for your business.

You may have heard about content marketing, but for those who haven’t, the folks at the Content Marketing Institute sum it up nicely:

“Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”

In other words, consistently producing high-quality content = potentially more sales.

You can read more about the importance of quality content here.

A business blog allows you to:

* Boost your SEO ranking because search engines love juicy content. And when you consider that 44% of online shoppers begin by using a search engine, you want to keep the Google gods appeased.

* Directly connect with potential and existing customers.

* Gain more customers. The more you blog, the more this rings true. According to HubSpot, 82% of marketers who blogged daily acquired a customer using their blog, as opposed to 57% of marketers who blogged monthly (still impressive).

* Share your strengths and build your brand on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels.

And that, my friends, is why you shouldn’t watch Netflix tonight – you should write that business blog post you’ve put on the back burner. So how do you get motivated? Here are some tips to help you stop procrastinating and get the job done:

1) Set aside time for writing.

Whether it be daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly, allocate a certain amount of time to write your business blog. Cross it off in the diary, lock yourself away, and stick to the plan.

2) Escape your usual surroundings for inspiration.

Sometimes changing the scenery is the best medicine for writers’ block. Hit up a local café, venture out to the library or beach with your laptop and concentrate on the job at hand.

3) Brainstorm and plan.

Often the hardest part is coming up with a concept for a blog post. Start to brainstorm the different ideas you would like to write about, and more importantly, what your readers might be interested in. You need to come up with blog posts that will be of value to your target audience. And because you need to post them consistently, it’s a good idea to plan out your content in advance.

4) Get something down.

Even if it’s not perfect, it’s better to get something down that can be reworked later, than nothing at all. Often you can spice up “slop” and turn it into something delicious.

5) Reward yourself for your hard work.

Knowing that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel is often a great motivator. Tell yourself that once this blog is done, you will watch your favourite TV show or indulge in some chocolate. Whatever your vice, use that as your reward.

If you want to reap the rewards of having a quality blog, but you don’t have the time to write the content, it’s worth using a professional copywriter. Ink Big Copywriting provides content for blogs, news sections of websites and social media channels. Please get in touch: Melissa@inkbig.com.au.

Your turn. Do you have any tips for avoiding procrastination? What has worked for you?